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808 Android is a sorry excuse for a Nokia 808 PureView clone

What is the highest form of appreciation a smartphone can get these days? High sales? Nah, everyone can sell anything these days with a smart enough marketing campaign. Online popularity? Come on, we can make a viral video by bitching about Apple fanboys in no time.

No, the highest form of appreciation a smartphone can get is a Chinese clone. Just think about it… How many devices have you seen ripped off and copied by Shanzhai products? There were Apple’s iPhones (most recently the iPhone 5), several Samsung phones, including the GS2, GS3 and GNote, and the HTC One X. So, the most popular and best reviewed handhelds of the past few years, right?

Now another phone is joining that select club, but in a surprising twist, it’s not one that has been very well received by either critics or the public. That’s right, it’s the is-it-a-phone-or-a-camera Nokia 808 PureView.

But if the HTC One X or the iPhone 5 got fairly decent rip-offs that actually looked enticing (if you were willing to ignore the shady build quality), the PureView’s doppelganger looks… well, pretty awful.

The 808 Android runs Gingerbread out of the box, but that’s not even the worst part of the clone’s spec sheet. In fact, I can’t put my finger on what’s worse between the laughable 550 MHz CPU, the measly 256 MB of RAM, the awful 256 MB of on-board memory, and the horrible 3.2 MP rear-facing camera.

Wait, I got it. The worst part is that bulge at the back of the device, despite it clearly being not needed to “contain” the power of the 3.2 MP cam. And the Carl Zeiss emblem next to the proud 41 MP sensor stamp that is so easy to prove fake. I mean, I get the whole concept behind these clones, but you could at least stop trying to cheat your customers with such lame tricks, couldn’t you?

The 3.5-inch display might not look that awful at a first sight, featuring a 480 x 320 pixels resolution, but listen to this – it’s resistive. And it comes with a stylus for “easier input”. Wow! Just wow! It’s as if someone wanted to play a prank on Nokia by getting such a horrible rip-off out.

On the flipside, the 808 Android does come with dual SIM support, which should count for something in Asia or Europe, but also with a microSD card slot, Bluetooth, and a G-sensor. There’s also WiFi connectivity, as well as a “free game inside”, according to the 808’s box.

If you don’t mind using 2007 technology and you think you could fool someone with this sorry excuse of an 808 PureView clone, you can get the phone for a measly $73.50 in its unlocked SIM-free flavor from DealExtreme.com. There’s worldwide free shipping included too, so what more could you want?